high cRiMes oR MisdeMeAnoRs? 321
it was party time. The arch-conservatives said their majority leader, who
had already raised their eyebrows by collaborating with Clinton, was now
wimping out. Why should they let the president off the hook and short-
circuit justice? Henry Hyde, the House’s chief impeachment prosecutor,
was outraged.^9
Lott regretfully backed away from Lieberman-Gorton. But as the
ground rules were being hashed out on January 8, 1999, discouragement
gave way to candor. “It was one of the few occasions during my 18 years
when all the senators were on the floor together,” Gorton recalls. “It was
like being transported back to the Senate of the 19th Century.”
West Virginia’s courtly Robert Byrd warned that they were “teetering
on the brink” of the black pit that had swallowed the House. Lieberman
said 67 votes was out of reach—face it. Calling witnesses would only pro-
long the trial. Gorton said the Senate’s reputation would be sullied by
sordid details. It was time for compromise. Others agreed. Finally, Phil
Gramm rose to say there was real merit to the key thrust of Lieberman-
Gorton: Brevity is the soul of wit. For starters, the tough Texan said, give
the House prosecutors and Clinton’s lawyers 24 hours apiece to make
their cases and deal with other stuff as it arises. Ted Kennedy said they
could deal with the witness business later, too.^10
“Let’s vote!” Lott declared. Lieberman, Lott, Gorton, Gramm and Ken-
nedy decamped to the majority leader’s office to draft the final deal, which
was approved 100-0. Gorton’s intellect, coupled with his attention to de-
tail and grasp of nuance, sometimes annoyed his colleagues. Now he
basked in their praise. “We have enjoyed cussing and discussing him and
his proposals for the last week,” said Don Nickles, the assistant majority
leader. “He has shown great courage and leadership, and he has worked
with all of us... Republicans and Democrats, to try to forge a bipartisan
resolution to this challenge. And I compliment him for his legislative
skills in doing so.” It was Gorton’s 71st birthday.^11
theRe wAs A teMpoRARy setBAcK. When Monica Lewinsky arrived back
in town in late January, she set off “agitated scrums of reporters and
gawkers that foretold the commotion that would ensue if she was to tes-
tify in the Senate. Partisan tempers had flared, reminding senators that
their hold on dignity was tenuous.” The Republican Conference balked
when Gorton and Lieberman once again made their case to forgo wit-
nesses. In the end, the Senate voted to allow House prosecutors to ques-
tion Lewinsky in a closed-door deposition and the trial was largely devoid
of partisan venom. “Working with Senator Lieberman on this issue was